What happened on Friday August 25 is the last nail in the coffin of the Haryana Police. While it is an open secret that the police in India continues to be the ruler’s police – a legacy inherited from the British and the 1861 Indian Police Act – never before has this been demonstrated so unashamedly as it was on that fateful day. That s self-proclaimed god-man – Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insaan, accused of raping two sadhvis who were inmates of the Dera Sacha Sauda, 15 years ago was going to hear the court verdict of the case filed against him with a cavalcade of 700 vehicles, beggars all logic. The man has a huge following and is also patronised by all political parties but his lifestyle betrays his carnal nature going by the kind of stunt movies he acts in and produces. The man has amassed wealth and his devotees claim that the Dera Sacha Sauda does a lot of charitable works but that does not excuse Ram Rahim’s vulgar display of influence and affluence. The Haryana Police are only acting to a script. It is possible that some in the force might also be followers of this god-man. But the complete failure of law and order leading to near rioting and the death of 30 people and the attack on media persons and government installations are unpardonable. The state government of Haryana has to be held accountable and the chief minister should take responsibility for the complete failure of the state machinery on Friday. Nothing less than that is expected from the central government.
India claims to be a superpower and a progressive nation which has produced scientists of great calibre such as CV Raman, Homi J Bhabha, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam amongst many other luminaries, but large sections of Indians are steeped in superstition and fall prey to such god-men who play on their insecurities. In recent times science is sought to be given short shrift by all kinds of absurd counter claims from people who are trying to push us back in time. This needs to be resisted. India is a secular country and those mandated to rule it had better distance themselves from religion and unscrupulous god-men.
